---
title: "Your first animation"
description: "Draw a circle, make it move and export it for a Lottie player in about ten minutes."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/getting-started/"
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Your first animation

Draw a circle, make it move and export it for a Lottie player in about ten minutes.

## 1. Install and open Creator Terminal

1. Paste the command for your computer into a terminal.

   macOS or Linux:

   ```sh
   curl -fsSL https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/install.sh | sh
   ```

   Windows PowerShell:

   ```powershell
   irm https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/install.ps1 | iex
   ```

2. Run `creator-tui` if the installer has not opened it. You see home.
3. Press `⌃N` for **New document**. You see a blank 1920 × 1080 artboard at 30 fps, five seconds long.

The [install reference](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/install.md) covers requirements, updates and removal.
Watch: [A tour of the studio](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/tour/)
shows the editor you open here.

## 2. Find your way round

The stage (the Composition panel in After Effects, the canvas in Figma or Rive) shows your
animation. The left panel holds drawing tools. The rail (the Properties panel in After
Effects or Figma, the Inspector in Rive) shows values for what you select. The score
(the timeline) sits below. The bottom line gives hints and reports what happened.

1. Rest the pointer on **Ellipse** in **CREATE**. The bottom line describes the tool.
2. Press `?`. The keys sheet opens over the editor.
3. Press `esc`. You return to the blank document.

![Three shapes on the stage, CREATE on the left, ARTBOARD in the rail and Position tracks in the score.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/start-screen.png)

Watch: [A tour of the studio](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/tour/).

## 3. Draw a circle

1. Press `⇧O` to choose **Ellipse**.
2. Hold `⇧` and drag a small box on the left half of the stage. Release the pointer to finish a circle.
3. Press `v` to return to selecting.
4. Click the circle. Its handles appear, and the rail shows **Position**, **Scale** and other values.

![A newly drawn circle selected on the stage, with its resize and anchor handles.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/start-draw.png)

Watch: [Draw your first shapes](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/first-shapes/).

## 4. Give it two keys

A key (a keyframe) stores a value at a frame. Two position keys give the circle a start and
an end point. Once a property is animated, changing it adds a key at the playhead.

1. Press `0`. The playhead returns to the first frame.
2. Press `p`. **Position** gains a key at zero seconds in the score.
3. Press `:` to open the palette.
4. Type `30` and press `enter`. The playhead moves to frame 30, one second in.
5. Drag the circle to the right, starting away from its centre anchor. A second position key appears.

![A circle moved to the right at one second, with two Position keys in the score.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/start-first-animation.png)

Watch: [Your first keys](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/first-keys/).

## 5. Play and ease the move

1. Press `0`. The circle returns to its start.
2. Press `space`. It moves to the second key.
3. Press `space` again to pause.
4. Click the first **Position** key in the score. Its ease box opens.
5. Press `5` for **in-out**. The move speeds up, then slows down.
6. Press `0`, then `space` to watch it again.
7. Press `space` to pause.

Watch: [Play, scrub and preview](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/play-scrub/)
and [Shape the ease](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/shape-the-ease/).

## 6. Save and export

Saving keeps your working document. Export writes a file to use elsewhere.

1. Press `w`. A name field opens in the rail.
2. Type `first-animation` and press `enter`. The bottom line confirms the save, as
   `first-animation.ctd`.
3. Click **↓ export** beside the document name. The export panel opens in the rail.
4. Click **dotLottie**. The output name ends in `.lottie`.
5. Select **Local drive** if it is not selected. The panel shows the filename and folder.
6. Click **Export file**. Wait for the bottom line to confirm the written file and its path.

![The export panel set to dotLottie and Local drive, with a filename and Export file button.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/start-first-export.png)

Watch: [Export your animation](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/export/).
See [Export](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/export.md) to choose video or another format.

Next, watch [Retime on the score](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/retime/),
or use the [glossary](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/concepts/glossary.md) to look up an unfamiliar word.